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06 July 2011

To strengthen the Philippines’s chances of getting into the $2.7-trillion world market for Islam-inspired food and non-food products, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) will impose strict guidelines for accrediting halal certifying bodies (HCBs) to weed out bogus and "fly-by-night" HCBs.

The NCMF has formed the Philippine Halal Development and Promotion Board (PHDPB) to carry out the guidelines.

NCMF Secretary Bai Omera D. Dianalan Lucman said the commission is mandated by Republic Act No. 9997 to take the lead in developing the country's fledgling halal industry.

Lucman cited the need for a very strict accreditation guidelines for HCBs.

The draft accreditation guidelines are quite stringent but it will eventually redound to the benefit of the Philippine Halal industry and, of course, the Muslim consumers. If the guidelines are stringent, it will rid us of bogus and so-called fly-by-night halal certifiers and will shore up the credibility and integrity of our local Halal-certified products in the global Halal industry,” she said.